This city council’s first 100 days in office haven’t told Barrie homeowners what their property taxes will look like this year.
Residents usually know by late January, at the latest.
Mayor Alex Nuttall went through the highlights of those 100 days early Friday afternoon in the Council Chambers before a small audience, including rookie Couns. Craig Nixon and Nigussie Nigussie, city staff, and a few media types.
Council has already approved sections of the 2023 operating and capital budgets, which set property taxes, but deferred consideration of service partner budgets until March 8.
That means the city’s share of spending for Barrie Police Service, the County of Simcoe, Barrie Public Library and the rest of city service partners, such as conservation authorities, hangs in the balance. Service partner costs represent a 2.07 per cent increase to property taxes this year.
All that’s been approved is a net one per cent increase to the dedicated infrastructure renewal fund (DIRF), which helps pay for the replacement and renewal of Barrie’s roads, pipes, buildings, and bridges. The cost of maintaining city services was reduced during earlier budget talks from a 0.88 per cent property tax increase to zero.
So if nothing changes, 3.07 per cent is likely to be this year’s property tax increase for Barrie homeowners.
But Nuttall again said Friday that something could change.
“My understanding is the County (of Simcoe) has actually amended their request, so that’s something that’s being now updated and considered as part of our plan,” he said. “The other part of that (delay) is members of council who wanted more time to look through some of the service partner budgets.”
Nuttall said there’s plenty more debate to come before the service partner budgets are approved.
“My belief is if we can show (service partners) how serious we are about prudent financial planning in the midst of what we all know is a major affordability issue here in our city, and across the country, quite frankly, but certainly in our city, then maybe we’ll see some movement" in service partners budget requests to the city, he said.
Nuttall also noted that provincial Bills 23 and 109 change the relationships between local government and the conservation authorities in terms of who’s responsible for some programs, how they are delivered, what are the costs, and who pays.
The delay in dealing with service partner budgets also gives this council, which has five new members, including Nuttall as mayor, more time to look at how the city and conservation authorities interact.
The County of Simcoe has been requesting another $1.7 million, or 6.57 per cent more, for Barrie’s share of its 2023 operating and capital costs. The total net amount of tax supported city funding could increase to $27.4 million from 25.7 million last year. Council has also delayed, for one year, the $750,000 increase to the county’s capital reserve — with any 2022 year-end surplus generated from funding the County of Simcoe’s budget to be allocated to this capital reserve.
The county supplies land ambulances and paramedics, health and emergency services, Ontario Works, children’s services, social housing, long-term care (LTC), seniors services and community services, which includes homelessness, to the city.
The Barrie police 2023 budget asks for 7.28 per cent more, or a $4.29-million increase in city funding. It’s pegged at $63.24 million, which is an increase from $58.95 million last year.
Salaries, benefits and overtime make up $56.54 million of this year’s police budget. Of that total, 75 per cent is salaries, 24 per cent is benefits and one per cent is for overtime. That’s a 3.5 per cent increase in salaries and 1.7 per cent more for benefits.
And police are asking for four more civilian employees this year and five new sworn officers, bringing those totals to 125 and 250 respectively. Barrie police has been at 245 officers since 2020. The five new officers will be on front-line duty, while the four new civilian employees comprise two in human resources, one in information technology and another in records.
The Barrie Public Library, including the new Holly Community Branch, has a 2023 budget which asks for a 2.43 per cent increase in the city’s grant, to about $9.6 million from $9.37 million last year, or $228,000 more.
Before Nuttall spoke about services partner budgets, however, he ran through council’s first 100 days, and his time as Barrie mayor.
“I hope the first 100 days is representative of what the rest of the four-year term will be,” he said. “What we’ve been able to accomplish in our first 100 days is no small feat.”
Barrie’s mayor mentioned council establishing its strategic priorities for this term — making this city an affordable place to live, community safety, a thriving community, infrastructure investment, and responsible governance.
Stormwater user fees, which Nuttall said would have had an approximately four per cent cost impact on Barrie properties, were scrapped.
Councillors held the line on Barrie Transit fares for seniors in 2023 at $3, although fares are slated to go to $3.50 from $3.25 for other adult riders on April 1. The city also got transit funding from provincial and federal governments, including for two new electric buses at the end of 2024.
Nuttall also outlined priorities for Barrie’s next 100 days and beyond, including ending the drop-off of some former prisoners in the downtown.
“We’re working with the province to ensure that inmates not local to our area being released from Central North Correctional Centre in Penetang are provided with a safe journey back to their home community, where they can have access to the resources and supports available,” he said.
Nuttall also noted a tree replacement program is still coming to Barrie council.
“The anticipation of growth over the next several years has allowed us to come up with creative opportunities to manage growth, and sustainability in the city of Barrie,” he said. “One of the new programs our public service is currently working on is this tree replacement program.
“When construction projects proceed in Barrie, and trees are affected, the City of Barrie will now oversee a new replanting program. This will increase the number of trees being planted within the city of Barrie and reduce prohibitive costs, to create jobs,” Nuttall said.
“This program will assist with the beautification of our city, support our sustainable footprint, but will also allow Barrie residents an opportunity to request additional trees to be planted on their own properties,” he said. “This program is an example of doing more, but costing less.”
Nuttall said details will be laid out by city staff in the coming weeks and months.
The mayor also noted the Bryne Drive extension has been approved — south from Harvie Road to north of Caplan Avenue to create a better traffic flow and reduce the amount of traffic on Barrie’s arterial roads. Construction is expected to begin this year. Part two of the Bryne Drive extension, from Harvie to Essa Road, is to begin in 2025.
